Why do the headstones in cemeteries face east?
Question:
Hello Mr. Hamilton,
I was having a conversation with my dad about cemeteries. I suppose I never considered it, but he mentioned that all cemeteries are typically arranged with the head of the deceased facing East. And my dad looked it up, and it said that one of the reasons Christians do it is because it's believed that during the Second Coming of Christ, He'll come from the east. So the dead are faced so they will be ready to greet Christ. So, when Jesus comes back, will he come back from the East, or is this just another premillennialist belief?
Thanks for your time.
Answer:
While many cemeteries orient the bodies to face east, this practice is not universal. It appears the tradition developed from a misapplication of the Scriptures.
In speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem and how widely that judgment would be noticed, Jesus said, "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:27). People have taken Jesus' illustration too literally and assume that he would come from the east. They also applied it to his second coming instead of realizing Jesus was talking about his coming in judgment on Jerusalem.
Jesus also refers to himself in Revelation 22:16 as the bright morning star, which would be in the east. By this, Jesus is saying that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Numbers 24:17. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), and the morning star heralds the arrival of the approaching dawn (Proverbs 4:18). Again, people took figurative speech and tried to make literal application of it.
Thus, it is a man-made tradition that self-perpetuates. It is not something required in the Scriptures.
Response:
Thank you. That makes a lot of sense!
